Grand Seiko Vs Rolex Battle Royale

[daveathall]

My love affair with GS started when I had saved enough money to buy a Rolex Sub C about 4 years ago, I knew where there was one in Leeds so I drove and parked up my car. As I was walking to the AD I noticed that there was a GS AD in the Victoria Quarter, I had heard about GS's but never seen or held one. I decided to take a quick look before continuing my journey to buy the Sub C.

I was blown away. I ended up buying 2 with the money I had saved for the Rolex, so, with that in mind, if I had to have only one watch, I could see me just having a GS instead of a Rolex.

[asiparks]

Originally Posted by subtona

...snip...

The GS bracelet leaves something to be desired in terms of construction... while the links appear to be held in place by screwed bars like a rolex, it is not so. The screw heads are just screwed caps that cover a pin that is inserted between. This seems like a peculiar shortcut to me compared with all the other design choices? Perhaps there is a good explanation that i am unaware of? ......

Because the pin that holds the links together is not directly, physically attached to any of the links via a threaded end, no amount of movement or articulation can cause the pin to back out and the bracelet come apart. The screws serve solely to contain the free floating pin and don't have to resist any torque from the bracelet flexing. No need to Loctite or excessively screw in the screws. Sizing is easy, undo one of the ( very tiny) screws, gently tap on the other side to pop the pin out...

I have both an Explorer II (216570) and a GS SBGE 201 and I prefer the GS.
However if I were to have only one watch, it would be neither the GS or Rolex, I have Blancpains, PAMs and IWC's that I prefer over both.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by asiparks

Because the pin that holds the links together is not directly, physically attached to any of the links via a threaded end, no amount of movement or articulation can cause the pin to back out and the bracelet come apart. The screws serve solely to contain the free floating pin and don't have to resist any torque from the bracelet flexing. No need to Loctite or excessively screw in the screws. Sizing is easy, undo one of the ( very tiny) screws, gently tap on the other side to pop the pin out...

I have both an Explorer II (216570) and a GS SBGE 201 and I prefer the GS.
However if I were to have only one watch, it would be neither the GS or Rolex, I have Blancpains, PAMs and IWC's that I prefer over both.

Thanks for the explanation, interesting.

[zengineer]

All this Brand R vs Brand S vs Brand O is pointless.

[Chadridv]

Originally Posted by zengineer

All this Brand R vs Brand S vs Brand O is pointless.

Why is it pointless? This is a watch forum. Collecting information and hearing other’s experiences with various models and brands is not only interesting but also helps us make informative decisions on potential purchases.

Beautiful trio btw!

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by Chadridv

Why is it pointless? This is a watch forum. Collecting information and hearing other’s experiences with various models and brands is not only interesting but also helps us make informative decisions on potential purchases.

Beautiful trio btw!

That was the point, to show off his watches....and beautiful watches they are.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by pickettt

That was the point, to show off his watches....and beautiful watches they are.

By pointless...my point was that we don't need to rank them or try to say Rolex is the winner in a battle with Grand Seiko. If you really love watches you'll find ones you love from many brands at many price points

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[pickettt]

Originally Posted by zengineer

By pointless...my point was that we don't need to rank them or try to say Rolex is the winner in a battle with Grand Seiko. If you really love watches you'll find ones you love from many brands at many price points

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I didn't question it, I knew exactly what you meant.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by zengineer

All this Brand R vs Brand S vs Brand O is pointless.

Is that the 305 you show ?
Love the looks of it, very clean uncluttered dial but how do you find the finishing of the movement. As far as I know it does not show any bevelled edges ?

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by joli160

Is that the 305 you show ?
Love the looks of it, very clean uncluttered dial but how do you find the finishing of the movement. As far as I know it does not show any bevelled edges ?

The entire watch from the case shape to the movement struck me as very German-like. The movement is very finely finished with subtle stripes but definately not ornate. Not my picture.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by zengineer

The entire watch from the case shape to the movement struck me as very German-like. The movement is very finely finished with subtle stripes but definately not ornate. Not my picture.

Thank you very much

[Chadridv]

Originally Posted by zengineer

By pointless...my point was that we don't need to rank them or try to say Rolex is the winner in a battle with Grand Seiko. If you really love watches you'll find ones you love from many brands at many price points

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I don’t disagree with anything you just said. despite “battle Royale” literally being in the thread title lol, my takeaway from this thread isn’t that one brand actually wins over the other.

I know a lot about Rolex and have owned dozens of models. having never owned 1 GS (until yesterday), the comparative nature of the conversation is extremely helpful to me.

So I totally get why it’s pointless in the way you’ve described, from my perspective it’s been very useful.

[1mlee0916]

Originally Posted by zengineer

All this Brand R vs Brand S vs Brand O is pointless.

Wow! Great collection! What kind of GS is that?


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[Vaxe]

Always room for both
If one, I’d choose the crown

[toxicavenger]

I have owned both brands. I do not think they are a fair comparison to each other. Each one of them have pluses and minuses the other one does not have. For me personally the GS has less minuses. The finish on most GS models rival the Rolex. It seems the GS had tighter tolerances, and do not let certain qc issues pass by Rolex tends to call "within specs".

Not to mention Rolex current selling practices suck. So they will not be getting any money from me any time soon.

Either way you would not go wrong with either watch. You just have to decide which one makes you happier.

[greentimgreen]

I really like both brands, and tend to have Rolex as my special watches and GS (and Seiko) as my more everyday wearers. There’s room for both in my opinion as they’re really quite different.


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[capote]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Sure; I'll trade my Platona for this one...NOT!!

https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en/collections/sbga385g

Would you trade an Eichi 2 for a Datejust?

[BNABOD]

Big fan of both brands but a lot of GS leave me indifferent ..well so do a lot of Rolex

So to me it comes down to where you are at in the hoarding process and a little bit of both is a good option

I love this one



And love this one

[icnbne]

not quite a Grand Seiko, but I have a MM300, and its finishing is on par with my submariner that costs close to 3 times more

[Paul_I]

GS deserves respect and the snowflake is a much better looking watch than than the recent AK, rainbow yachtmaster, cheetah daytona, etc.

[Aussiexplorer]

Originally Posted by pickettt

Are we comparing watches or labels?

That's a perceptive comment!

[RolexReviews]

I have never seen a GS in the wild. Seen plenty of Rolex watches for sure (maybe because I wasn't looking for a GS I never seen one?)

I would love to one day try one on and see what it's all about. I was never the kind of person to hate other brands that I didn't try (use to be an iPhone person but gave Android a shot and have been on Android for a while. Something not a lot or people could say)


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[shawn13ca]

GS is great, there is no doubt. But it doesn't replace a Rolex. Because real watch fan likes Rolex for their history and designs, so who could replace them? The same can be said of Grand Seiko. When you know the brand and respect what they are, you need one. That's why I got both.

[Jostack]

Rolex makes a lot of watches I don’t care for.

GS makes a lot of watches I don’t care for.

I love some Rolex watches.

I love some GS watches.

The Rolex market really turns me off.

GS resale really turns me off.

What to do...


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[nan7yo]

As long as the timepiece is nicely design, reliable, durable, comfortable to wear, eye catching... enthusiasts will buy and collect.

To me, both Rolex and Grand Seiko fulfilled all of the above requirements, why not own them all?






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[1William]

I think both Rolex and Grand Seiko are to be liked for what they are not, what they are not. Rolex is a classic and a marketing machine. Grand Seiko has been on the scene but is just beginning to gain some traction in certain markets. A lot has to do with the buyer/owner but both have a place in my collection.

[cajunron]

In my humble opinion: If you want a watch that is finished to the 9's, GS rules. But if you want a robust, well engineered tool watch that can handle whatever you throw at it, you want a Rolex.

[Jostack]

Originally Posted by cajunron

In my humble opinion: If you want a watch that is finished to the 9's, GS rules. But if you want a robust, well engineered tool watch that can handle whatever you throw at it, you want a Rolex.

Are GS not ‘robust and well engineered’?

I’m not challenging your opinion, obviously Rolex has a proven track record in that regard, but are GS watches known to not be able to take a beating?


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[cajunron]

Originally Posted by Jostack

Are GS not ‘robust and well engineered’?

I’m not challenging your opinion, obviously Rolex has a proven track record in that regard, but are GS watches known to not be able to take a beating?


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It's not so much that GS watches AREN'T robust as much as Rolex watches ARE. If that makes any sense. Rolex watches have always been known as robust, durable tool watches probably long before the word entered modern lexicon.

I've never heard of or seen a Grand Seiko on a construction site like I have seen Rolex. And THAT is a true story!

[Jostack]

Originally Posted by cajunron

It's not so much that GS watches AREN'T robust as much as Rolex watches ARE. If that makes any sense. Rolex watches have always been known as robust, durable tool watches probably long before the word entered modern lexicon.

I've never heard of or seen a Grand Seiko on a construction site like I have seen Rolex. And THAT is a true story!

Yep. Definitely makes sense. I don’t doubt that at all. I’m pretty sure a Seiko or Grand Seiko goes completely unnoticed. I would be willing to bet there are orders of magnitude more Seiko’s putting in work on construction sites vs Rolex. Probably orders of magnitude less GS for obvious reasons.





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